Chapter 225: Chapter 218: A Kind of Unease

When she went in, she had nothing with her, and when she came out, she still had nothing. However, little did anyone know, at this moment, she had a packet of medicine powder in her pocket.

She hoped that she would never need to use it.

They returned to the inn to rest for a while, planning to go out again in the afternoon. Luckily, the inn was nearby; otherwise, they would only be able to return in the evening.

After a day of walking, they were unsure of the distance they had covered, but it was enough to make their legs and feet ache.

Tang Yuxin was twiddling the packet of medicine in her hand.

“What is that?” Xu Miaomiao turned her head, knowing that Tang Yuxin always had some interesting things, like some medicinal powders she compounded. These powders could be used for foot baths, baths, and the like, with great effects. Moreover, whenever she had a fever or a cold, a cup of herbal tea would make her sweat and feel better.

She heard from Uncle Tang that Yuxin had apprenticed under a traditional Chinese medical practitioner in their village for a few years, so she understood these medicinal effects well.

At times, she truly felt that Tang Yuxin was too diligent and envied her a little. Of course, this envy eventually turned into admiration.

Well, Tang Yuxin intended to become a doctor anyway. In the future, if she had headaches or any other illnesses, she would look for Yuxin, entrusting her with her health.

“Is it candy?” Xu Miaomiao extended her delicate finger, poking the little paper bag Tang Yuxin was holding.

“Do you want to try it?” Tang Yuxin asked her, with a serious face, but the clear and cold look in her eyes mirrored the greedy expression on Xu Miaomiao’s face.

Xu Miaomiao suddenly felt a little scared.

Of course, being afraid of the unknown was typical.

“That…” she hesitated nervously with a grin, “I think…I’ll pass. Really, I’m not that curious.” Indeed, curiosity could kill the cat.

She couldn’t carelessly touch or consume Tang Yuxin’s things because some were medicinal. How could it be taken indiscriminately? Doing so would only bring sufferings.

This was a lesson she needed to remember for the rest of her life.

She pulled back her finger, swiftly ran off to her little bed, pulled the blanket over and fell asleep. They were supposed to continue exploring once she woke up, but her legs were aching. What to do?

“Yuxin, my legs hurt,” she grumbled, as she rolled over.

“You’ll get used to it,” Tang Yuxin dismissed, placing the medicine bag back into her pocket. What could she do about it? This was just normal fatigue from excessive walking. Even if she sought relief today, the pain would return tomorrow. She might as well get used to it slowly.

Xu Miaomiao wriggled the blanket in between her legs, twisting it like a twist doughnut.

She rolled over a few more times before Tang Yuxin finally laid flat on the bed, positioning her hands on her belly, breathing tranquilly as if she was fused with nature.

Xu Miaomiao had never seen Yuxin change her sleeping position. However, her breath was always so calm and steady during her sleep that it was also soothing to listen to.

Unlike some people, who would snore loudly while sleeping, it made her feel like kicking the wall. She could still faintly hear Xu Lidong snoring in the distance.

He was almost as bad as her father.

She too, laid down, mimicking Tang Yuxin by placing her hands on her belly, relaxing her body, closing her eyes. However, after a while, she couldn’t help but squirm again. She brought the blanket back in between her legs. She was never good at keeping still in her sleep. Yet, unbeknownst to her, after she had fallen asleep, Yuxin sat up, stepped off the bed, picked up the fallen blanket from the floor, and draped it over Miaomiao. She then lay back down in the same position.

It was a good thing Tang Yuxin was around. Otherwise, Xu Miaomiao would have kicked off the blanket multiple times, risking catching a cold.

When they woke up, it was already past two in the afternoon. They went out to have a good meal before continuing their stroll along the lakeside, heading towards Water City’s most famous attraction, the waterfront architecture.

The houses were all built over water, and it was hard to imagine how they were built. They were lined up, appearing quite spectacular. However, Xu Miaomiao thought living there would be quite unnerving.

What if there was a flood? What if the water washed away the house or if the road got washed away? Wouldn’t people end up drowning or starving?

Harboring such wild thoughts, she brought herself back to reality, noticing that her friends were already quite ahead of her. She was about to catch up, but then she spotted a small stall selling toys. Being a girl, she found such things irresistible. She immediately ran over and bought several items.

Unbeknownst to her, however, a few individuals nearby, with malevolent looks, had been observing her for quite a while.

After finishing her shopping, Xu Miaomiao was about to join her friends when she felt a stomach upset.

“Wait for me.”

She waved at Tang Yuxin and Chen Lidong, who were waiting for her in the distance. “I need to use the restroom. My stomach hurts, and it might be a while.”

Chen Lidong covered half of his face with his hand, finding it hard to bear. Could she not be so direct?

Meanwhile, Tang Yuxin leaned on the side, pretending not to know them. Right then, she was playing with a medicine bag in her hand. After taking a bath at the inn, the scent on her had faded a bit.

She had finally figured out how to reduce the scent on her body.

She used to think that the more fragrant the better, and with a natural scent, she wouldn’t need perfume. But she didn’t realize that sometimes, having a natural scent could be a hassle. For instance, Miaomiao was always telling her to “go scent a room.” She was a person, not a moving incense burner.

After bathing, her scent would noticeably decrease and become almost imperceptible.

She put the medicine bag back into her pocket.

However, ten minutes passed, and Xu Miaomiao still hadn’t returned.

Then twenty minutes passed, and she still hadn’t shown up.

Tang Yuxin stood up straight while Chen Lidong began complaining, “Where did she go? Why is she taking so long? What if there’s no toilet paper?”

“I’ll go check.” Tang Yuxin dashed towards the restroom. Meanwhile, a sudden sense of unease surged in her heart, evoking a mysterious danger similar to the one she had felt the day before.